Our Story

Derek and Amy met in May 2013 at a contra dance festival in Oswego NY. Derek came up to Amy after she finished playing and said, "Hi, I'm Derek. I'd like to meet you." They spent the weekend getting to know each other, and continued talking via email after the event (at the time, Derek was living in Brooklyn, while Amy was living in Boston). Amy was free only a few days that summer, and the few free days were spent with Derek: one day in Brooklyn, one day in Boston, one night/morning at a 12-hour dance in Vermont. They spent the following 10 months getting quite familiar with the buses and trains between Boston and Brooklyn. In June 2014, Amy packed her bags on her last day of teaching and drove down to move in with Derek in Brooklyn. She found a teaching job at a nearby school, and they began to make a home together. As time went on, Amy realized that NYC and classroom teaching were not a great fit for her, so she left the classroom in pursuit of music and private teaching. Derek transferred to Google Seattle, and they moved across the country in September 2015. They bought a house in October 2015, and soon after decided to formalize their commitment to each other through marriage. They were married in the Seattle Municipal Court on May 2 2016, with the intention of having a larger party with family and friends in 2017! In August 2016 they welcomed their dog Skarpi into their family, and they look forward to the adventures and surprises that life together will bring.